Projecting Shedeur Sanders, Browns QB Depth Chart After Joe Flacco Named Starter

The Cleveland Browns officially named veteran Joe Flacco as their starting quarterback for their 2025 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, but there are still three other signal-callers fighting for positioning as training camp nears its end.

Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders had their chances to show their skills during the preseason, and former first-round pick Kenny Pickett has been nursing a shoulder injury. Here's how the Browns' quarterback depth chart is likely to shape up for the 2025 season:

• QB: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel

It's clear that Cleveland is in no rush to throw its pair of rookies into the fire. Sanders impressed when he started the preseason opener, but he suffered an oblique injury that forced him to miss this past weekend's game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Gabriel got the start after sitting out the opener with a hamstring injury, but he threw an interception and lost a fumble in an uninspiring showing.

Per ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi, Pickett "has not participated in 11-on-11 drills since injuring his hamstring on July 26." Still, the Browns traded a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Eagles to acquire him this offseason, and he will likely get the nod to be the backup once he's healthy since he's the most experienced signal-caller available besides Flacco.

The Browns are likely to be without quarterback Deshaun Watson for the entire 2025 season after he re-ruptured his torn Achilles earlier this year. Cleveland signed veteran Tyler Huntley to provide depth amid its injuries, but he's unlikely to make the final 53-man roster if Pickett is healthy by Week 1.

Flacco is in his second stint with the Browns, as he memorably led the team on a late-season surge in 2023 after replacing an injured Watson. He went 4-1 in five starts that year. This will be his 18th year in the NFL, and he still has what it takes to beat out youngsters for a starting job.

Flacco will also start Cleveland's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, giving fans a first look at what to expect for the 2025 campaign.